A Flawless Fighter by Don Hanson III

[Buddy Thomason]

Flawless - without blemishes or imperfections; perfect.

Don Hanson III is a top-shelf knifemaker. He is a substantial professional in the knife world and as such Don can be counted on to deliver a perfect knife every time. The beautiful damascus and fossil ivory bowie/fighter below is a good example because Don's skilled work and attention to detail is easy to see on a big knife. OAL is 15 inches and the blade is 9 3/4 inches. The fancy leather sheath is by Paul Long.



Makers and collectors do not start out with a refined sense of perfection in knives. It comes with experience, including inevitable mistakes made along the path. One excellent way to assess a maker and a knife offered for sale is to turn the knife over and carefully inspect everything you see for symmetry, tight fit, clean edges and no slop of any kind, as illustrated below.